
Canada looking at support for canola farmers hit by China tariffs, says Carney
In a post on X, Carney also said Ottawa would advance a constructive dialogue with China to address trade concerns while diversifying its foreign trade.

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Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Polls close in Bolivia following steady turn out, few disruptions
LA PAZ, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Ballot stations have closed in Bolivia after millions took to the polls in a general election on Sunday that has been overshadowed by inflation at a four-decade high and the absence of former leftist President Evo Morales, who is barred from running. Initial results are expected after 9 p.m. locally (0100 GMT). If no presidential candidate wins more than 40% support with a 10 percentage point lead, the election will head to a runoff on October 19. Voter turnout on Sunday was steady, authorities said. Despite earlier concerns that the electoral process in Bolivia could be obstructed by supporters of Morales, who had called on the public to boycott the race, international observers said the vote took place without major disruptions. Head of the electoral mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Bolivia, Juan Fernando Cristo, said the elections proceeded "normally" in a post on X. Earlier on Sunday, several minor incidents took place at polling stations in the central region of Cochabamba, Morales' political stronghold. Leading the race are opposition conservative contenders Samuel Doria Medina, a business magnate, and Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, a former president, but neither commands more than 30% support, opinion polls show, with around a quarter of Bolivians undecided. The August race marks the first time in almost two decades that polling indicates Bolivia's incumbent Movement for Socialism, or MAS, could face defeat. Support for MAS-affiliated and other left-leaning candidates trails the opposition, totaling around 10%, according to the latest August Ipsos CEISMORI survey. Morales, who co-founded MAS and governed the country from 2006 to 2019 under its banner, has been barred from running for another term as president. Early on Sunday, Morales took part in the electoral process. He said he planned to annul his vote and criticized the elections for excluding his political movement. Full official results are due within seven days. Voters also elected all 26 senators and 130 deputies, and officials assume office on November 8. With a crowded field and no dominant MAS party candidate, the election marks a "crossroads moment" for Bolivia, said Southern Andes analyst Glaeldys Gonzalez Calanche of the International Crisis Group. Bolivia's fragile economy is top-of-mind for voters. Price rises have surged past other Latin American countries this year, and fuel and dollars have run scarce. Annual inflation doubled to 23% in June, up from 12% in January, with some Bolivians turning to cryptocurrencies as a hedge. Many Bolivians, especially those who work in the informal economy, were now struggling to make ends meet, said economist Roger Lopez. "Prices of the basic food basket are going up fast," said Lopez. "Suddenly the math doesn't add up anymore." They may choose to punish MAS on Sunday, creating a window of opportunity for centrists, the right, or a leftist faction led by Senate President Andronico Rodriguez. "Every year the situation has got worse under this government," said Silvia Morales, 30, from La Paz, who works in retail. A former MAS voter, she said this time she would cast her vote for the center-right. Carlos Blanco Casas, 60, a teacher in La Paz, said he intended to vote for change. "This election feels hopeful. We need a change of direction," he said. Quiroga has promised "radical change" to reverse what he calls "20 lost years" under MAS rule. He supports deep public spending cuts and a shift away from alliances with Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. Quiroga was president for a year in 2001-2002 after the then-leader resigned. Doria Medina, meanwhile, offers a more moderate approach, pledging to stabilize the economy within 100 days. On the left, the vote is split between the official MAS party candidate Eduardo del Castillo, who is backed by outgoing President Luis Arce, and Rodriguez, who has distanced himself from the party and is running on his own ticket. Morales, 69, has called for a boycott of the election, but analysts said his influence is waning. "There is widespread support for these elections," said Calanche. "Most Bolivians see them as key to leading the country towards economic recovery."


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Report: Bengals entertaining trade offers for Trey Hendrickson
August 17 - The Cincinnati Bengals are listening to trade offers involving four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson amid an ongoing contract dispute, NFL Network reported on Sunday. Hendrickson, who is slated to make $15.8 million in base salary in 2025, has been seeking a new deal all offseason. In mid-May, the star pass rusher told reporters he wouldn't play this season unless he received a bump in pay. Hendrickson, 30, led the NFL in sacks last season with 17.5. He has 35 over the past two seasons and 57 in four seasons with the Bengals. Hendrickson apparently craves an increase in pay that will place him in the higher echelon of defensive players. Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt just landed the highest annual average salary ($41 million) in history for a defensive player. Over the offseason, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett ($40 million AAV) and Los Angeles Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby ($35.5 million) also landed huge deals. Hendrickson has been a Pro Bowl selection in all four of his seasons with Cincinnati. He played his first four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, serving as a backup for the first three campaigns. Hendrickson has 77 sacks, 220 tackles and 14 forced fumbles in 110 games (81 starts). --Field Level Media


The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Cyprus welcomes resignation of UK trade envoy after visit to occupied north
Cyprus has welcomed the resignation of the UK's trade envoy to Turkey, Afzal Khan, saying it sends 'a resounding message' amid widespread criticism of the Labour MP's recent visit to the island's breakaway Turkish-occupied north. Khan had defended his trip on 8 August in a letter to the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, claiming it was conducted 'in a personal capacity during the parliamentary recess'. But acknowledging the furore the visit had caused, the MP for Manchester Rusholme, who faced calls to resign, also said he felt it was 'best to stand down at this time so not to distract from the hard work the government is doing to secure the best possible trade deals for this country'. On Saturday, within hours of the British government confirming the resignation, the Cypriot foreign ministry called the decision an 'important development' that showed there could be zero tolerance for an entity recognised by no country except Turkey. In a statement it said: 'The recent illegal visit of British MP Afzal Khan to the areas of the Republic of Cyprus occupied by Turkiye, as well as his meeting with [the territory's leader] Mr Ersin Tatar were unacceptable and provocative actions.' The episode had, the foreign ministry added, sent a resounding message 'that there is no room for tolerance'. 'It is clear … there must, and may be, political consequences regarding [the north] … especially for those who foster, assist or tolerate it.' Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when a coup aimed at union with Greece, engineered by the hard-right junta then in power in Athens, prompted Ankara to launch a military operation in the name of protecting the island nation's Turkish Cypriot minority. After years of inter-communal violence following independence from Britain, the two-phase invasion resulted in Turkish troops seizing 37% of Cyprus's territory and triggering mass displacement, with the majority Greek Cypriot population moving south of a UN-patrolled ceasefire line and Turkish Cypriots fleeing in the opposite direction. In 1983, the breakaway north unilaterally declared independence – prompting Britain, a guarantor power, to immediately convene a meeting of the UN security council condemning the declaration as 'legally invalid'. Successive governments in London and elsewhere have refused to engage in diplomatic relations with the entity since. Despite relentless efforts by Turkish Cypriot authorities to win recognition, only the international republic of Cyprus in the Greek-speaking south is acknowledged. When Keir Starmer last year made the first official visit to the island by a British prime minister in more than 50 years, Starmer refused to meet Tatar, instead holding talks with the Cypriot president, Nikos Christodoulides. Turkey, to this day, maintains about 35,000 troops in the north. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion On Saturday, Tatar, a hardline nationalist who advocates a two-state solution to resolving the Cyprus problem, decried the pressure put on Khan, saying the British MP had visited the self-proclaimed mini-state at his own invitation. 'The fact that an elected MP was forced to resign from his position as the UK's trade envoy to Turkey simply for engaging with the Turkish Cypriot people is a warning sign for all those who believe in democracy and equality,' said Tatar. Diaspora groups in the UK, where large numbers of Greek and Turkish Cypriots settled after 1974, said Khan's visit had been especially 'politically insensitive' because it coincided with the 51st anniversary of the invasion, the second phase of which began in mid-August 1974, as well as continuing UN efforts to restart talks to reunite the island. 'Afzal Khan was right to resign as the UK trade envoy to Turkey following his deeply inappropriate and unacceptable visit to the occupied north of Cyprus,' said Christos Karaolis, who heads the National Federation of Cypriots in Britain. 'His actions compromised the UK's longstanding foreign policy on Cyprus, contravened international law and disrespected the lived experiences of our UK Cypriot community, many of whom are refugees or descendants of those forcibly displaced by Turkey's 1974 invasion. We now look ahead to continued collaboration with HM government in support of a free and reunited Cyprus.'